This week we are lucky to have Simon Holywell on the show to talk all things Functional Programming. Initially starting off with a concrete definition of Functional Programming, we move on to a brief history of the paradigm and immutability. Following this we explain recursion (and tail-recursion), along with closures and higher-order functions. From this base we are able to then talk about the different languages available to you which cater towards the functional mindset (i.e. Haskell). We then set our sights on the PHP language and what/wish it had to offer when exploring the functional paradigm. Finally, we mention his upcoming book, along with experiences presenting at user-group meet-ups.

On NetTuts.com they're posted a new tutorial about using the Stripe service to accept credit cards on your site. Thanks to some handy libraries they provide, integration is a relatively simple process.

Until recently, accepting credit cards on a website was expensive and complicated. But that was before Stripe: a radically different and insanely awesome credit card processing company. Today, I'll show you how to start accepting cards in 30 minutes or less - without spending a dime.

They step you through the whole process you'll need to get the full flow set up:

Install an SSL Certificate (on your server)

Create an Account

Create Your Payment Form

Collect The Form Values

Request a Token

Create a Server-Side Script

Screenshots of the Stripe interface, HTML, Javascript and PHP code are all included - everything you need to make the simple card handling work. One of the keys to how Stripe deals with credit cards is that you provide it the card info, it gives you a token. Your app uses this to work with the card instead of storing the card information in your database (also making it more secure).

New from NETTUTS.com today there's a new article listing out some of the tools of the trade, the frameworks that web development professionals use (and not just with PHP).

New web development frameworks, promising rapid development and easy deployment, are sprouting out at a more rapid pace than you can keep up. In the last article, we looked at the various factors you'd have to consider when deciding on a framework. Today, we are going to look at the various frameworks available for each facet of web development.